In our Money Secrets series, we ask people to confess their furtive money-related secrets which they are hiding from loved ones or that people do not know the full extent about.
Today, we speak to Hasan Hadi, 39, who lives in Southgate, north London and is the founder and managing director of Southgate Solicitors.
He reveals that as well as having a high-pressure day job dealing with serious legal matters, he has a secret side hustle working as a DJ and indulging in his passion for music.
If anyone sees me working in my profession as a lawyer managing my own legal practice, dealing with serious litigation and the high-pressure world of family law, they probably couldn’t guess what I do in my free time.
However, what very few people know about me is that I have a novel side hustle – I am also a DJ. When my laptop shuts on my legal work at the end of the day, the headphones go on and I don’t think any of our clients – or even some of my colleagues – would ever guess that their solicitor is the one behind the decks in the evening or at the weekend.
I qualified as a solicitor about 14 years ago. I studied a law degree at Kingston University and then did a post graduate LPC course. Then I did a couple of paralegal jobs and managed to get my foot in the door of a firm that offered me a training contract, after which I qualified as a solicitor specialising in family law.
It is coming up to the ninth anniversary of founding my own company Southgate Solicitors, and we specialise solely in family law.
It has taken a lot of hard work and graft to get here. When I first set up my firm, it was just me for nine months and I was doing everything from case work to advocacy at court, back end marketing and bookkeeping.
Then, I started hiring people, and we slowly grew; we now have a team of 15 including myself.
Away from the daily routine and professional life, I have always been into music. It is how I relax and let my hair down away from a more serious legal life.
In around 2019, prior to Covid happening, I had started going to a lot more gigs and festivals and I was mainly into dance music – house and electronic dance.
Then, Covid hit, and we were all locked behind doors for a year or so. I was still grafting away in the day job, but in the background, I would listen to weekly DJ sets from various artists and producers that I follow.
Once lockdown restrictions lifted and clubs started opening up again and festivals began releasing their line-ups, I started making up for lost time. Anything that interested me, I’d book it. I kept a list of all the gigs and festivals I was going to, averaging around one or two a week.
From that, my music tastes changed slightly and I got into things like drum and bass and different types of dance music – I was enjoying it a lot.
When the start of 2026 came round and people were thinking of New Year’s resolutions, I saw a DJ course advertise with the London Sound Academy and I couldn’t say no.
I managed to complete the beginner, intermediate and advanced courses in two-and-a-half months and I did my first professional gig a few weeks ago.
I absolutely love the way with DJing, you can let your hair down and forget about everything else. I switch off one laptop and switch on another.
Since finishing the DJ course, I have been going to the studio at London Sound Academy almost once a week and just playing different types of sets and styles of music to see how it would fit together if you played it at a gig or festival.
I have started recording myself doing DJing and have been posting videos online.
It is still a relatively new thing for me and at the moment, I am not doing it to make money. With me having a secure day job, I can focus more on the art and gaining a fan base.
I am not getting paid for any of the gigs I am doing at the moment and am purely doing it for the enjoyment. But I am hoping that after gaining experience and more followers, I can make it a legitimate second income stream.
I love both my legal work and my DJing and feel they both complement each other well. The discipline of law helps with the business side of DJing, while the creativity of the music helps me stay sharp in my day job. DJing is my way of decompressing.
The two professions also have some similarities and relate to each other. With my legal background and experience, as a solicitor, my aim is to get the best outcome for my clients. When I am DJing in front of a crowd, I want to make sure people are having a good time with my playlists.
At the moment, my side hustle as a DJ is my secret as not many people know about it. But I am sure word will soon get out – and it is not something to be ashamed of or something I want to keep hidden.
I do feel I have a bit of a double life at the moment maintaining a professional legal reputation while pursuing my passion in the music scene. I think it is a side of my personality that my clients and colleagues will be surprised at.
I think people will be shocked that you can have a professional day job doing demanding work and run your own firm, but in your spare time, you can do something quite different and unexpected.
Do you have a Money Secret that loved ones or friends don’t know about? Do you have a secret debt or a hidden stash of money? Or maybe you have a mysterious spending habit or a clandestine side hustle.
Share your Money Secret by emailing: Aasma.day@theipaper.com. Identities will be kept anonymous if desired.